Tuesday, December 09, 2008

New (last) free Notecase release

I am now in the process of releasing new Notecase v1.9.8.The major news are:- syntax highlighting using GtkSourceView library- text line numbers- text formatting can now be applied even it there is not text selected- fixed undo issue

GtkSourceView usage in the code is optional. Not all builds where done with support for GtkSourceView! The reason is simple: some distros are quite old and I couldn't compile GtkSourceView for them. For example, when compiling on Fedora 6, GtkSourceView complained it requires GTK+ >= 2.12.x, but I could not find the newer GTK package for this distro. That's why only newer distros are compiled with this library.

Note that this is my last release of the free Notecase. It's been 4 years since I've started the project, and it was a great experience. I had a great feedback and the project seems to become popular.

As always, the problem is basically my free time. I have less free time than before, and now my time is mostly reserved for my Notecase Pro project. It became more and more hard to maintain two different projects who are growing more and more apart in their code base.

This is my final decision, it's been "cooking" for more than several months now. I won't make any new releases or builds, but you can send me your translation updates, and I'll post the at the project's website.

The beauty of open source is that the source code is here, and anyone can fork and improve the project under a new name.

Anyway, enjoy the new release. My feeling is that I've left the project in decent state and it is pretty usable for all the standard tasks you might want to do with the program.If you want something more, consider buying Notecase Pro.

I run dual boot Windows and Linux and I needed a product like NoteCase. I had found some that offered a few extra features but to get a product working exactly the same in Windows and Linux and to make it stable, no other achieved this.

You did a great job and I do believe you should continue with your Pro product development now. I will continue to use the free version for as long as I can and then when the itch to upgrade becomes too strong, I will be forking out some money your way.

Thanks. In the meantime, feel free to send feedback on Notecase Pro even if not being user.I am always interested in the fresh perspective and the ideas that might improve the product.I would like to know what are those "few extra features" from other programs you might like to see in NcPro :)

On Windows I use the "Treepad Free", and I was starting to convert (read: type) all the stuff into Notecase Free.

I like the program, not only because it is very much simular, but just because it does what I need: a text database to ease my loss of memory (don't go into that, please).

I'm testing Linux distro's for almost 2 years now, and believe me: I tested a lot, up to 4 distros a week, every week.

Programs such as Notecase make such things a little bit easier, because one can transport the notes needed for preferences, programs that need to be installed, bug patches and so on to every distro you install.

Although I do not find the Windows version of Notecase that good because it runs a little "shaky" (but that the program does not run as smooth on Windows as on Linux shall have its reasons), it runs like a train on oiled rails under Linux.

Indeed, I hope that someone will take over the free version, develops it further and brings it (if possible) to a new level.

But this does not mean that your work must ever be forgotten.As you said: you leave it nice and clean.

Thank you for the "nice and clean" program, which I like very much, and use every day on every distro I can install it.

Ending here with an Irish-like goodbye (I am Belgian myself):

May the lights of the future glisten on the cobbled pavement of the road that leads to much joy of development.May enlightenment reach all followers in the four corners of the wind.May you never forget, because there is a way not to.And most of all:May we all keep using the free version until it's renamed.

I hope you are not really retyping all your data into Notecase :). Perhaps copy/paste would be easier?

Thanks for the poetry, it reminded me on the possible original that I've seen in Ireland:

May the road rise up to meet you.May the wind be always at your back.May the sun shine warm upon your face;the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Thanks for the wonderful program. I had actually made my own program that does similar, but I got tired of maintaining it so I started using NoteCase instead. I'll probably keep using it though, or maybe for fun start work on my old project again.